First Day: At 06:00 a.m we will pick you up by our 4x4 transportation and drive you to the National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca (south side of the National Reserve). Tourists going from Arequipa to Colca go through the north side of the National Reserve and do not visit Salinas. That is why we recommend starting early to take this tour calmly and be able to fully enjoy both destinations (Salinas and Colca).
In order to get to the Salinas lake we will drive 02:00 hours from Arequipa city, on the way will go through the village of Chiguata, where we will observe pre Inca terraces which are still worked for growing quinoa, alfalfa, corn, potatoes, carrots, and green beans. We'll continue our trip into the National Reserve and will see the only forest Queñuas of Arequipa, throughout this journey we will have incredible views of the mountains and the Misti volcano. As soon we get to the lake will have a spectacular panorama, here Nature offers us a wonderful landscape surrounded by volcanoes (Misti, Pichu Pichu and Ubinas volcanoes).
We will visit both sides of the Laguna de Salinas and hike in the salt flat, the sensation of peace and tranquility is incomparable. It is possible to take photos with the water mirrors and take photos with the effect produced by the salt. (according to season and weather conditions).In addition to the scenery, in Salinas we will have the opportunity to observe Andean rabbits, Andean deer, birds and south American camels such as vicuña , llama and alpaca also borate extraction and artisanal production of salt is appreciated.
It is common to see flamingos in the Laguna de Salinas, since thousands of them migrate between January and March. In Salinas is possible to see three different species of flamingos:
After visiting Laguna de Salinas we will surround the Misti volcano, in the way we could find some other local birds like guallatas, (Andean goose), crested ducks (lophonetta specularioides), yanavico (plegadis ridgway), giant coot – ajoya (Fulica gigantea), andean gull - kiulla (larus serranus).This is not a very popular tourist route, but really worth visiting and it is not completely isolated either since there are small peasant communities who are mostly dedicated to raising llamas and alpacas.
We will cross through the Andean mountains and have lunch in the National Reserve and then we will arrive to Patahuasi 4011 m.a.s.l. crossing from the southeast to the north of the National Reserve Salinas y Aguada Blanca.
In the afternoon we will reach the Colca valley and drive to Cabanaconde village, in the way to the hotel we can stop to take pictures of the canyon at the famous viewpoint Cruz del Condor. Dinner and overnight in Cabanaconde.
Second day: At 07:30 am, after breakfast we’ll set off for Cruz del Condor that is considered the best viewpoint to truly appreciate the vast expanse of Colca Canyon and also the prime location for condor viewing. We can do a short walk near the Colca canyon cliffs (40 min approximately) from the Mirador de la Cruz to the Cruz del cura viewpoint and then will continue our journey through the Colca valley.
Both on the way and on the return we will make stops at strategic points of observation of Colca valley to appreciate the terraces with crops, the villages and the natural landscape of this beautiful destination. We'll pass through the villages of Pinchollo, Maca, Achoma, Yanque and Chivay, and will visit the viewpoints of Wayrapunku, Anatahuilque, and Choquetico.
As it is a private excursion we can avoid stopping in the most touristy viewpoints and stop in less crowded ones, also stay as long as you want. before lunch we will visit the Chacapi hot springs, located in Yanque village, overthere you can take a relaxing thermal bath and enjoy the 32°C-38°C of Colca mountains mineral water. Later we'll have the buffet lunch with the most typical dishes of the peruvian cuisine.
Until now we just have been visited only the left bank of the Colca valley; before leaving Colca will make a special visit to discover more about the history and cultural legay of Colca culture. We will visit the pre-Inca city Uyo Uyo, it is a archaeological site located on the right bank of the Colca river. We will walk for approximately 1.30 hours in this interesting ancient village touring its stone constructions and then we will begin the return trip to Arequipa.
On the way, we’ll stop in Patapampa (4910m.a.s.l), highest point; here we’ll observe many volcanoes as Ampato, Sabancaya (active volcano), Hualca Hualca and Mismi. We drop you off at your hotel in Arequipa. For more information please send a message to infoperunatred@gmail.com or info@perunatred.com
